Knights rally past Bobcats, 102-97, in overtime thriller

BANNER ELK, N.C. --- The St. Andrews
Presbyterian College men's basketball team outlasted Lees-McRae
College in a thrilling overtime game in Conference Carolinas action
on Saturday night in Williams Gymnasium, outscoring the Bobcats by
an 11-6 margin in the extra period to claim the victory.

St. Andrews (6-7, 3-3 CC) forced 26 Bobcat (3-9, 0-5 CC)
turnovers on the night, converting those miscues into 32 points.
Lees-McRae posted one of its most impressive shooting nights of the
season, knocking down 55.4 percent of its attempts from the floor,
including a 47.6 percent clip from beyond the arc as the Bobcats
connected on 10-of-21 attempts from downtown.

Daniel Sepokas (Illawong, Australia) poured in a career- and
game-high 41 points, connecting on 13-of-20 attempts from the floor
while going 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and 10-for-13 at the free
throw line. The sophomore guard also dished out a game-high seven
assists while grabbing six rebounds. Adam McFerran (Stow, Ohio) and
Tevin Friday (Gastonia, N.C.) joined Sepokas in double figures with
13 and 12 points, respectively, while DeAndre Tillman (Charlotte,
N.C.) recorded game-highs of 11 rebounds and three blocks.

Lees-McRae opened the game on an 11-6 run, capping the spurt on
a layup by Sam Youse (Winston-Salem, N.C.) at the 16:16 mark. St.
Andrews responded, launching a 14-4 run to take a 20-15 lead on a
jumper by Barry Tucker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with 13:03 to play in the
half.

The Bobcats battled back, answering with a 12-3 spurt to reclaim
the lead at 27-23 on back-to-back three-pointers by Reshon Benjamin
(Valdosta, Ga.) with 8:57 left in the half. Lees-McRae would hold
the margin for the remainder of the period pushing the lead to as
much as nine points, taking a 43-37 lead into the intermission.

Lees-McRae continued to dictate play in the second half, opening
the period with a 10-7 spurt to take a 53-44 lead on a Tillman
jumper with 15:49 to play. St. Andrews would battle back, taking a
58-57 lead on the heels of a 14-4 run after three straight buckets
from Antonio Moffitt (Raleigh, N.C.), with the last of which coming
with just over 13 minutes remaining.

The teams would trade baskets over the next several minutes
before Lees-McRae regained control, launching an 18-10 run to claim
an 81-73 advantage on a Friday layup with 6:13 to play. St. Andrews
stayed within striking distance, slowly chipping away at the lead
before launching a quick 5-0 spurt to even the score at 88-88 with
just under one minute left on the clock.

The Knights then claimed a 91-88 lead 30 seconds later, gaining
the advantage on a crucial three-point play by Christian with 21
ticks left. Sepokas would answer with perhaps his most clutch
bucket of the season, knocking down a strongly-contested
three-pointer with less than three seconds left to tie the score at
91-91 and send the game to overtime.

After St. Andrews opened the extra period with a quick 3-0
spurt, the Bobcats responded with a run of their own, pouring in
the next six points to take a 97-94 lead on a Youse layup with 2:11
left in overtime. The Knights would take control from there,
answering with a Davis triple to kick-start an 8-0 game-clinching
run to equal the final margin of 102-97.

Lees-McRae returns to the court on Wednesday when the Bobcats
travel to Due West, S.C. to take on Erskine College at 7:30
p.m.

Lees-McRae College, a four-year, co-educational liberal arts
college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA, is located in
the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina.
Being a year-round tourist destination, the area provides the best
of a vibrant college community coupled with natural beauty and a
rich history. Please see www.lmc.edu for more information.